W3@ARI: Shuting it down

   I expected a hard fought game but not a nail biter that went down to the wire, once the game ended I didn't realize until the next day that the Cardinals didn't score points after the 1st quarter, they where shut down by the Bears defense plain and simple creating four turnovers against the two by Mitchell Trubisky and even so just one of them cost them seven points, I knew the Cardinals where struggling at QB but this really did amaze me once I noticed it.

   Again I could see Trubisky go hot and cold still looking like someone that isn't comfortable enough yet with the system, obviously it shows he is still not ready and looks like he is really trying to not turn the ball over by making the wrong decisions on where and when to throw the ball. Still he ended with two turnovers although these where more slip ups than bad decisions, he just needs to take better care of the ball when scrambling and the interception was a better defensive play than a bad throw. This errors aside he managed to have good stats with high completion percentage and more than 200 yards for the first time this season, no scores tho so its still an average performance by him with some great plays and other times where he just made me scratch my head, throwing with poor to no accuracy, it concerns me a lot.

   I liked the balance between Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, I felt the number of run plays and moments they where in the game were good and if they weren't trailing almost all game, I believe the Bears could have won the game with more run plays and of course good defense, which once again had to bail the offense out to manage to end with the victory. 

   Again, we can see why Kalil Mack is worth every penny, even when he is called for an offside overturning a pick six by Eddie Jackson in the final minutes of the game that would have sealed the game, its no biggie as it was just a matter of time for him and the rest of the front seven to generate enough pressure to get to the QB and be over with the game for good.

   With the Bucs playing next at Soldier field led by the magic beard of Ryan Fitzpatrick and the number one offense, this makes for a big game that can better tell us how good the Bears defense is... but not really. The Buccaneers are where they are because of the WR and TE group they have, Fitzpatrick just has to lob it to Mike Evans, O.J. Howard or Cameron Brate and they will come down with it more times than not, they can stretch the field giving space to speedy Desean Jackson, Chris Godwin and Adam Humphries, I'm still not sure if the Bucs cant run the ball or just don't want to. 

   With the news that Prince Amukamara wont play, this forces the Bears to play rookie Kevin Toliver II or Bryce Callahan outside, it doesn't look good for the Bears. Eddie Jackson and Danny Trevathan can cover the TEs while Kyle Fuller will have his hands full going one on one with Evans, Callahan has to stick on the slot to cover one of these speedsters be it Jackson or Humphries, that would leave Toliver against Godwin which I will be paying much attention to. The Bears front seven has the ability to get to Fitzpatrick against the Bucks average Oline but that may not be enough if he gets the ball fast although pressure could eliminate the deep ball which is the Bucs triumph card. This game may depend on Trubisky and the offense to get needed points on the board that they left off on the previous games, they can not play catch up like they did against the Cardinals or they may lose this one.

W2vsSEA: Defense for the win

   Before the game started I thought this was a winnable game for the Bears, they were the favorites to win it and as the match progressed my mood changed from winnable to a must win game mostly because of how the defense was playing, there was no way they could lose this one and at the end it was closer than it should have been. But a win is a win and a win at home is even better.

   Is easy to see that Mitch Trubisky is still not a polished QB but shows you enough to believe he can get better, but what bothers me is that his strength is considered to be his accuracy and on these past two games hes been up and down, overthrowing as well as underthrowing receivers, then you see him on the move and you kind of forgive him for the rough edges he still has.

   The offense again moved steady at the beginning and then slowed down as the game progressed but came with enough points to get the job done. This was mostly thanks to Allen Robinson who showed he is a true number one receiver, showing good hands and strength to get extra yards after the catch already showing that he can go get it on 50-50 balls, it was great to see those 10 made connections between him and Trubisky. Jordan Howard has to fight for every yard once more and Tarik Cohen had more chances on this game although he wasn't able to do a big splash aside from the lobbed catch he made for a big gain on a broken play. The O-line still looks a bit shaky and could be more consistent on making lanes for Howard to ease the pocket more for Trubisky, if not then its up to Nagy to get creative with the misdirection and option plays.

   There is really nothing bad you can say about this defense other than Kyle Fuller really needs to look back for the ball. This unit is looking to be a top 10 defense again and if everything clicks, look out. Leonard Floyd's hand is getting better, Danny Trevathan when healthy is a playmaker, Roquan Smith can really move and Khalil Mack amplifies what this defense is capable of. Honestly I am impressed with Aaron Lynch, hes done a good job  helping collapse the pocket frequently, not a flashy guy but has contributed when on the field.

   Next game at Arizona will be another winnable game, they are 0-2 but only because Sam Bradford is doing terrible. There is a slim chance that what happened in Cleveland's game can happen in this one, if Bradford plays poorly again or gets knocked out which wouldn't be something new for him, then in comes Josh Rosen and then anything could happen because the Cardinals team has a fair share of good and upcoming players on both sides of the ball just waiting for their savior. But this is not the Jets defense he would be up against, the sky's the limit for this group.

W1@GB: Un-Real

   I didn't know what to expect from this game before it started, ultimately what I wanted was for a competitive game against the rival team that has been dominating the win column the past few years. Even if the team isn't meshed up as one would like with two top talents still very raw to the team in Khalil Mack and more so in Roquan Smith, what really intrigued many was what the offense would look like. The result was un-real for me, both half's of the game.
   I don't think anybody expected a first half performance from the Bears defense like the one shown on Monday night, what Mack did was to good to be true, it made me believe that we finally had an edge against the Packers. Even when Roquan Smith came in for injured Danny Trevethan and on his first play got a sack it felt like everything was going the Bears way and when Mack read the screen and intercepted DeShon Kisers pass and took it for six, its when I felt it, it was like I was dreaming. Cross out the fact that Aaron Rodgers got hurt, I wasn't expecting or wanted that to happen, but even with Rogers in, he was getting neutralized and at the end it did factor to the insane moments that where happening, that this game was in the bag.
   Then the second half started and here came Rodgers back like a freaking sports movie hero coming in to save the day for his team and fans, I even questioned the call to let him play by his coaches, was it worth it to try and win this game? was it even possible in his state? It seemed to risky. Then with a 20 point advantage, everything went upside down. Rodgers when no huddle, the defense couldn't get to him and seemingly tired them down, they couldn't stop them. I don't get how they couldn't get to a guy who couldn't get out of the pocket, he could move laterally yes but to have pressured him from every side in the first half to not even get on his face was crazy. The defense folded, got tired and began to give Rodgers time to find receivers down field. The offense didn't play lights out the first half but moved the ball well enough. In the second half they were the unit that ultimately cost the game for their team, Matt Nagy and Mitchell Trubisky lost this game. Nagy insisted in not utilizing Tarik Cohen in favor of Jordan Howard which is not a bad plan but kept slamming him to the better part of Green Bays defense that was the front three D-linemen. Trubisky lost his chance overthrowing Allen Robinson in the corner of the end zone for a TD in the second quarter, in the second half he missed more open opportunities and was very inaccurate, he looked indecisive waiting for receivers to get open on moment that required more to get small chunks of yards and get the ball out quicker, this is Nagy's fault for the play calling or Trubisky for not making the throws. In the end not enough first downs sealed the game, yeah Fuller dropped an easy interception, Howard ran out of bounds, Cody Whitehair still snaps it to high and cost the team some opportunities, but in the end the offense stalled in the second half and cost the Bears a win.
   That they lost this game isn't the sad part of it all, this team is still growing together and still has to learn the plays and learn from their mistakes, Trubisky didn't look in control, him and Nagy still have a lot of work to do and the future still looks bright. What was sad is that this team for a half had the Packers where they wanted, showing something that fans have waited to see for a long time, at the end they still couldn't beat Aaron Rodgers, even on one leg.

   On to face the Seahawks at Soldier Field on Monday night football, these Seahawks are not the same as before, the legion of Boom looks to be a thing of the past but still have enough to test the Bears offense. This is Russell Wilson's team and will determine their offense, he is quick and elusive as Rogers when healthy or even more than him, so this will be a challenge for the pass rush but it should be welcomed to see how they perform against these type of QB who are the most dangerous and trending types. I can see the Bears winning this game and many others just by watching the talent on the team, everything from here on out is going to be how fast Mack and Smith get into the starting lineup permanently, Trubiskys development and of course Nagy and Fangios gameplan.

2018 Chicago Bears Roster

   So if you look closely at this years roster you will notice a significant difference KHALIL MACK IS IN IT OMG YES. So you could say I'm glad of the decision Ryan Pace and the Bears organization took on getting Mack out of the wrinkled old hands of Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders, the price was steep costing the Bears the 2019 and 2020 first rounders but ultimately worth it, more so with that 2020 second round pick they packed Mack with. I do see it as Mack being our first rounder next year, at the end of the day you cant get a better first rounder than a proven elite pass rushing OLB at his prime, the other first rounder is soften by the second rounder given back so its really a good move by the Bears, the Raiders can due what the hell they want with their picks and build a dynasty for what I care, this move ultimately makes the Bears team a better team now and for the future, so great job.

   This move makes the defense look like a top 5 unit on paper, it has the making of the 85 Bears and it could sound cliche but there are so many players at DL and LB that can penetrate the line with speed and/or strength its seems a matter of time for rookie Roquan Smith to prove he is a great player, a healthy Floyd and a more accustomed Mack, add Akiem Hicks and newly resigned Eddie Goldman, you get a nasty group of headhunters which the 85 Bears where.

   All in all, I like how this years roster looks but there are some minimal things I'm concerned about. 

Going with FB Michael Burton says max protection for Mitch Trubisky, maybe Ryan Nall is to green but can still get better and impress on the PS. No surprises at WR and there is really no way to go wrong at TE but just cant get more injuries with Daniel Brown now banged up and Adam Shaheen out at least 8 weeks. Its good to see the O-line healthy, being this group the weakest one on offense, Charles Leno Jr has done his job but still has to improve to be a great player, no question Bobbie Massie needs to be more reliable, the depth is young and raw aside from Bradley Sowell but is banged up.

   At defense there is talent at the starting position and quality depth behind it, its a little shaky at ILB with rookie Joel Iyiegbuniwe but many things need to go wrong for him to play. But really my two big concerns are, who is playing behind Goldman at NT and what the hell is Marcus Cooper Jr doing on the roster? I wasn't a big fan of Crevon LeBlanc but I did see him making plays last year unlike Cooper how got benched and placed at the bottom of the depth chart and should be on this years as well. On the official depth chart there is no backup for the NT, I was waiting for John Jenkins to be resigned days after the final cuts like last year but it didn't happen, is it going to be Bilail Nichols or Mike Williams? I have no clue. I don't like the fact that Aaron Lynch made the team, he didn't play and was injured almost the entire duration of camp, only thing hes got going is that Vic Fangio knows him, so it will have to do.

   Pat O´Donnell beat the rookie, Patrick Scales got a spot and no Robbie Gould, sigh.

   Ryan Pace has assembled a nice balance roster in age and of drafted/signed players. I do believe that this team can go only up in the next few years but its all in the hands of Trubiky, his development with these coaches is what will make or break this team, he doesn't have to be the best QB in the league but does have to be a leader and a contributor for this team to get where they want to go. I like how the majority of key players are signed long term to keep the team focused on the game and nothing else. This season looks to be tougher than the previous one, not sure if this is because I have never focused on the whole season from the start until recently but looking at it by opponents they could finish 7-9 and miss the playoffs, but if this team plays like they look I wouldnt be surprised if they go 9-7. This first match against the rival Packers as any other one before against them marks a strong statement of what this team is made of and how far they can go, but one still needs to be patient until Smith and Mack gel with this team and then it should look different, hopefully better, like a playoff team.